X-Men: 6 actors we want to see play Nightcrawler in the MCU

5. Lakeith Stanfield

After watching The Haunted Mansion, Lakeith Stanfield is at the forefront of all my casting wish lists. His ability to embrace a role that is equal parts grief-stricken skeptic and ghost-hunting hero was perfectly done.

You can’t help but believe that Stanfield was a skeptic and a hero. And having him step into the world of the MCU as their new Kurt Wagner just makes sense. He has what it takes to not only help to save the day, but he can do it in a setting that is less than calm and tranquil. He knows how to crack a joke and also when to be serious and that’s critical to this role. Whatever adversity comes his way he seems to feed off that in a scene and that’s what we need from a member of the X-Men.

The idea of having a highly nuanced version of Nightcrawler is important and there is something about the way that Lakeith Stanfield stepped into the role of Ben in The Haunted Mansion that makes me think that he would truly be able to give depth to the character. Plus, it is hard to deny that Stanfield is a very good actor and he knows how to embrace whatever role he is given, so why not add him to the MCU where he could potentially shine in a new way?

We want to see him in more roles and we want Stanfield in the role of a superhero and it just feels like he has the exact temperament for our next Nightcrawler. And yes, we absolutely believe that he could be an epic mutant with next-level strength, and after seeing him traveling in a ghost realm, he absolutely makes sense as a character that can teleport.